Pad for bed-pans



(No Model.)

K. A. SHAFPBR. PAD FOR BBD PANS.

No. 482,888. Patented Sept. 18, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KATIIARINE A. SI-IAFFER, OF I'IARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PAD FOR BED-PANS.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent No. 482,388, dated September 13, 1892. Application tiled May 9, 1892. Serial No. 432,342. (No specimens.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, KATHARINE A. SHAFEER, acit-izen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State` of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pads for Bed- Pans; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates generally to bedpans and particularly to an improved construction of pad, adapted to be secured to the pan and arranged beneath the same.

The object of the invention is to provide av soft and yielding cushion beneath the bedpan, whereby the disagreeable pressure of the end of the pan against the base of the spine is avoided.

My invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming apartof this specication, Figure l is a perspective View of a bed-pan supplied with my contrivance.A Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the saine, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the pad.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates an ordinary bed-pan, and B my improved cushion or pad, which consists of an inflatable rubber bag essentialiy rectangular in shape. One end is curved out, as shown at o, to correspond With the openings in the pan, and to said end are attached the hooks b o', by means of which the pad is secured to the pan, said hooks engaging the lower edge of the pan-opening, as clearly shown. The pad after being secured to the pan is folded under the end and arranged beneath the bottom of the pan. An inflating-tube b2 is at the side of the pad adjacent to the end b, and after the pad has been arranged beneath the pan it can be graduallyiniiated, and thus avoid any sudden elevation of the patient.

In order to prevent the portion of the bag resting upon the pan from becoming iniiated, I secure the sides of the bag together by means of rivets b3, which hold the faces of the bag together and thus cause that portion to remain perfectly fiat, while the portion under the pan can be inated to any desirable degree.

The bag, hooks, tube, and rivets are all constructed of rubber, and the tube, hooks, and rivets are of vulcanized rubber, thus permitting the bag to be washed and thoroughly disinfeeted, and enabling it to be carried from one patient to another without danger of contagion.

Having th us described my invention, whatI claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An improved inflatable bed-pan pad provided with hooks which are adapted to engage with the rim about the orifice of a bedpan, said pad being secured to the bed-pan and folded under the same, thus forming a cushion for the upper and lower surfaces of the pan, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the bed-pan, of an inflatable pad, one end being depressed by tacking and cut on the arc of a circle, and hooks secured to said curved end adapted to engage with the rim about the orifice of a bed-pan, substantially as shown and described.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, an inflatable bag composed of rubber, provided with hooks and an intiating-tube, and the rivets for securing the sides together, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony WhereofI atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KATHARINE A. SHAFFER.

Witnesses:

MARY N. GANNON, Trios. E. GEOMAN. 

